Technical Field
The present disclosure is related to systems for recovering mature fine tailings (MFT) from oil sands tailings ponds, as well as methods of designing, making, and using such systems.
Description of the Related Art
Oil sands tailings ponds are containments used to store wastes and byproducts of bitumen extraction from oil sands. They can be used to store residual bitumen, fine silts, sand, suspended solids, etc., often suspended in water in the tailings ponds. Managing such tailings ponds and the materials stored therein is a complex and important environmental challenge.
Some systems have been developed to transfer tailings from tailings ponds, such as for further processing, but these prior systems suffer from various drawbacks. There is room for improvement in the management of oil sands tailings ponds and the processing of tailings stored therein.